In short:
A proposed OzFuel satellite mission would provide detailed, real-time data on the flammability of eucalypt forests from low-Earth orbit.
asserted
mission → propose → orbit
Chemicals that influence eucalypt flammability can be detected from space using infrared sensors.
asserted
that → influence → sensors
OzFuel could be ready to launch a prototype satellite in 18 months.
uncertain
OzFuel → launch → months
As Australian bushfires become more frequent and intense, satellite data has become a critical tool for bushfire planning and response.
But with no Earth-observation satellites, the nation depends on foreign-owned satellites for information during emergencies.
asserted
nation → become → emergencies
Scientists at the Australian National University are developing what could be Australia's first national satellite mission for Earth observation, with world-first technology to monitor the flammability of eucalypt forests from space.
uncertain
what → develop → space
The OzFuel project has been proven in the lab and now needs investment for a preliminary or "pathfinder" mission to test and prove it works ahead of a more expensive program.
asserted
it → prove → program
Scanning eucalypt forests from space
Eucalypt forests are among the most flammable in the world, responsible for devastating wildfires both in Australia and overseas.
asserted
forests → scan → Australia
Predicting where these fires are most likely to start and how they may propagate comes down to the complex biochemistry in the eucalypt leaves.
uncertain
they → predict → leaves
"There is no single variable that determines how flammable a eucalypt is," said Marta Yebra, director of the ANU Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence and leader of the OzFuel project.
asserted
Yebra → be → project
"One of the properties is moisture content, but there are other chemical components like oil content, cellulose and lignin," Professor Yebra said.
asserted
Yebra → be → content
"These all make the leaves more flammable.
asserted
leaves → make → ?
These traits can be measured from space with remote sensors tuned to specific bands of the infrared spectrum.
asserted
traits → measure → spectrum
ANU researchers have analysed thousands of eucalypt leaf samples to determine which wavelengths in the infrared spectrum can detect key chemical compounds and other flammability traits.
asserted
wavelengths → analyse → compounds
Initial experiments in collaboration with CSIRO have investigated how these traits influence fire behaviour.
asserted
traits → investigate → behaviour
At the Mount Stromlo research facility in Canberra, the same instruments used by astronomers to observe distant planets have been adapted to make Earth observations from space.
asserted
instruments → use → space
His team has built a high-powered infrared telescope small enough to fit onto a satellite for the OzFuel project.
asserted
team → build → project
"We've demonstrated that we can make the concept work in the laboratory," he said.
asserted
he → demonstrate → laboratory
"We're now at the stage from a technical perspective where we're looking to test it for viability on a spacecraft, and then attach it to a small satellite and get the prototype up in orbit.
asserted
we → look → orbit
But until the technology is proven in space with a pathfinder mission, it is difficult to attract investment from the commercial sector.
asserted
it → prove → sector
It is a stage Professor Sharp calls the "technology Valley of Death".
asserted
Sharp → call → Death
Crossing the 'Valley of Death'
ANU Institute for Space director Anna Moore estimated the OzFuel pathfinder mission, which could be ready to launch in 18 months, would cost around $15 million.
uncertain
which → cross → million
Professor Moore said the lack of established funding pathways to progress from technology development and ground-based validations to demonstration and then out into industry puts projects like OzFuel at risk.
asserted
lack → say → risk
"You want that funding pipeline to be seamless," she said.
"
asserted
she → want → ?
When a project like this is on hold, you not only lose key staff who hold the intellectual property that makes this a reality in the first place, you also lose momentum.
asserted
you → lose → momentum
"And then lastly, we're talking here about bushfires.
asserted
we → talk → bushfires
And the more we wait, the more bushfires we're going to have.
asserted
we → wait → ?
Australia's dependence on foreign-owned satellite data in natural disasters was highlighted in the royal commission that followed the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
asserted
that → own → bushfires
In March 2022, the Australian government announced a $1.16 million plan to build four Earth-observation satellites as part of the National Space Mission for Earth Observation.
asserted
government → announce → Observation
That program was axed as part of budget cuts a year later.
asserted
program → ax → cuts
"Earth observation data are a critical piece of Australia's national security infrastructure for disaster preparedness and response," said Stuart Phinn, from the University of Queensland's School of the Environment.
asserted
Phinn → say → Environment
Professor Phinn said that it had never been a better time to build Australia's national satellite capability.
asserted
it → say → capability
"If we don't act on this now, we're gradually going to lose that capability, and we're going to have to spend a lot more money buying in data and having potentially unreliable data and data that's not fit for Australian environments or Australian applications.
asserted
that → act → environments
In July this year, the Australian government released its Statement on Space.
asserted
government → release → Space
It listed trusted space services, including Earth observation, as a key priority area, noting the increasing role of these services in supporting public safety and security during emergencies.
asserted
It → list → emergencies
In response to questions from the ABC, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources said the Australian government was working to secure access to critical satellite data by investing in relationships with strategic partnerships with the United States, the European Union and Japan.
asserted
government → say → States
This included a $448.7 million investment over 11 years to ensure access to data from the United States Landsat Next satellite mission.
asserted
This → include → mission
It did not comment on whether there was any plan to build our national satellite Earth observation capability.
asserted
It → comment → capability
As Australia braces for an El Niño summer and the cost of natural disasters continues to escalate, Professor Yebra said investing in prevention had a multiplier effect.
asserted
investing → brace → effect
"There are lots of studies that broadly [indicate] that in natural disasters, $1 invested in prevention results in $10 of benefits in the damage that is avoided," she said.
asserted
she → be → damage
"Over the next 30 years, we could save more than $8.5 billion if we have more investment in technologies that can provide information that is useful to plan rather than react to bushfires.
uncertain
that → save → bushfires
The Aporia